That Afternoon We Nearly Froze to Death

That Afternoon We Nearly Froze to Death In the Name of Health and WellnessOur first experience in a cryotherapy chamber

You can’t pay us to spend a bitter cold winter in New York where temperatures reach a bone-numbing zero degrees with negative numbered windchill. But ask us to spend two minutes in a -150 F degree chamber for the sake of defying the aging process and pampering our body post workout? Well, we dropped trou for the extreme cold without thinking twice.

Enter Next Health in West Hollywood and their whole-body cryotherapy chamber. Despite its entertainment capital location and the plethora of entertainers passing through it’s misted doors, it turns out it is not creepy in that Austin Powers and Idiocracy kind of way. Rather than slipping into a claustrophobia-inducing casket, it’s all standing room and plenty of space to shake the frost off your tush. Which is pretty much the only thing you will want to do during those beyond chilly 120 seconds.

Actually, you’re covered there. Typically people go in covering the minimum, but all the right bits and parts, while also rocking earmuffs, socks, and gloves. Save for the requisite bro-style winter hat, it’s not your every day sunny Los Angeles attire.

So what’s the deal with cryotherapy? Well, we’re essentially tricking your brain into freezing to death without using the oft-associated, kinda scary ingredient called liquid nitrogen. When we say that whole freezing to death part quite casually, it’s because it is a trick and you will be fine. With frequent use, cryotherapy is said to even out skin tone, boost your metabolism, help you sleep better and diminish feelings of depression, anxiety, and fatigue. There’s the sciencey element they give you too. The numbers around your blood pressure, like how low it dropped, how cold you got, and how quickly your body bounces back.

Why do this?

Well, what you’re actually doing is physically and mentally refreshing the mind, body, and soul very very quickly. Good quickly. You’re nourishing your body with nutrients that increase athletic performance, decrease recovery time, accelerate collagen production and cellular regeneration, help reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, and on top of that boost the immune system doing all that anti-inflammatory stuff we need to be healthy and happy!

That’s a laundry list of baggage to address in two minutes, no? Thankfully, it’s not some absurdly-priced treatment after all. A single session goes for $60, and packages offer unlimited deals which makes this an incredible after workout session to work into daily life.

So what’s it like? Well, it’s freezing. But with the help and warm personality of the lovely Vanessa, your blood pressure is checked both before and after, you choose some music, they blast it, and you dance your ass off until it’s over. There’s definitely a moment of shock that takes your breath away, but if you’re someone who understands how to regulate shifts in breath via hot yoga, extreme steam rooms and saunas, snorkeling and scuba diving, then you can find your zen in the cryo chamber and twerk your way through the two minutes.

When you step out of the chamber, the feeling of all of your blood rushing back into your extremities and brain is exhilarating and tingly in a kind of euphoric I-can-conquer-the-world kind of way.